The Unpaved Road
by Neko Kuroban
Summary: Prevention is better than cure," or so their motto dictates, but what happens when you can't find any trace of what you're meant to be preventing?
1. Alone

The Unpaved Road

By: Neko Kuroban

**Chapter One:**

**Barely Aware**

* * *

_The young woman ran through the darkness, the sound of her boots against the floor pounding in her ears, her hair flying out behind her. The air was heavy and thick, uncomfortable against her body. But still she continued on, ignoring the cramping in her left calve, only fixated on her destination. As she moved, she became more aware of the smell of death and decay, mingling together. She swallowed the twisted lump that had formed in her throat, "Please no, please no!" she cried out. The sound echoed, as light flooded a metal platform, the steep, spiraling, steel stairs leading up to it, illuminated in the darkness. She had no choice but to move up them, keeping a shaking hand on the twisted black banister. **'No.'** she thought to herself at the sight that greeted her when she reached the top. **'Please don't be…'**_

_Blood stained the metal around the fallen form of a young man, his uniform torn and sodden rags, barely clinging to him, and his body covered in dark bruises and scars. Moved with pity for him, and repulsion at who ever did that to him, she nearly collapsed at the side of the fallen soldier, running unsteady fingers through his thick hair. She leaned her head close to his back, he was still breathing. Turning him over was an effort, but her desperation to save him gave her the strength. A long, thin blade pierced his chest, and cuts marred his once-flawless features, but even now, she could recognize him. A single tear fell down her cheek._

_It was her love._

* * *

Barely thirty seconds after waking found Une sitting on the floor of the bathroom, leaning against the toilet as she retched helplessly, unable to do anything else. She felt weak and vulnerable, exposed beneath the bright ceiling lights. Her eyes half-closed, '_Damn it, Treize. Why did you have to… Crap!_' Frustrated and angry, she wiped away the hot tears that threatened to spill. 

Using the side of the sink as support, Une got to her feet, and turned the tap on, after removing her glasses. She splashed her face with cold water, then roughly dried herself off with a white linen towel. The once-colonel glanced back down at the still-falling liquid. Reaching under the sink for a glass she had a feeling was there – Dorothy was staying with her and Mariemeia, and the platinum-blonde had an irritating habit of taking things into the bathroom when she was going to take a bath and sticking them under the sink when she was finished – Une filled the cup half-way with cold water and took a few careful sip to wash away the disgusting taste in her mouth. She set the glass down on the ledge, and looked into the mirror with a sigh. 

'_What happened to the fearless colonel?_'' She wondered sarcastically, but her question had merit. Her flawless, bold appearance would have been marred by her nightgown under normal circumstances, but she truly had changed physically, even her light, piercing cinnamon gaze and high cheekbones would probably fail to inspire fear into an underling at this moment. Dark violet rings now looked as if they had always been beneath her eyes, and her skin was unusually ashen; she hadn't slept much in the past week due to odd, reoccurring dreams. But this was the first time she had actually made it to the top of the platform in her nightly visions. She shivered in memory of the dream…

"Are you okay, Une?" A groggy voice asked, interrupting her thoughts. Une turned her head to see Dorothy leaning against the doorframe. 

"Yeah…" Une forced a small smiled, then frowned upon examining her, "Did I wake you up?" The girl's pale hair fell in messy tangles, and was clad in a three-sizes-too-large white cotton T-shirt and she was missing a sock.

"No, no, I meant to get up early." Dorothy insisted, stifling a wide yawn, as the old-fashioned grandfather clock in the hall way struck four in the morning. 

Une grinned slightly at that, "You're lying, Dorothy."

"You're right." The girl answered with no hesitation, moving past Une to peer out the window. She brushed the light curtains aside, pale orange light flittering across her features. "It's a disgusting hour to be up." Dorothy observed sleepily. Une had opened her mouth to agree, only to be cut off by the phone. 

"I'll get that." Dorothy offered, shuffling out of the bathroom towards 'her' room. "You can stay here and just…barf some more I guess…" She returned a few minutes later, all traces of weariness gone from her visage. "That was Wufei." 

Une felt herself stiffen in concern, "And?"

"He says Sally hasn't come back yet. She was supposed to be back last night, right?"

The head of the Preventers was already moving into the master bedroom – which, Dorothy noticed unhappily as she followed Une into, still felt like Treize's room; it even smelt like her cousin's cologne. Une had already pulled off her nightgown and thrown it haphazardly on her unmade bed, she was obviously troubled by Wufei's news. Dorothy moved the flannel garment, and slowly began to smooth the bedclothes, if only for something to do, as the older woman hurriedly got dressed in her tan Preventers uniform, and pulled her auburn hair into a quick ponytail, and gave the room a once-over.

"You're glasses are still in the bathroom, on the sink." Dorothy informed her cousin's lover without looking up, as she rearranged the pillows. Throwing the last one down, she ran down the steps after Une, "Where are you going anyway?"

The lady paused, hand on the brass doorknob. "To the office. You stay here, make sure Mariemeia gets ready, and both of you go to school like nothing's wrong. Which is probably true. But I suppose you can stop by after school." Dorothy gave a mild groan of complaint, which Une sensibly disregarded as she strode out the door. 

The drive from the Kushrenada estate – Une had been named as Treize's heir in his will - to the Preventers office, was silent, except for the occasional car passing by and the faint news program coming from the radio.

A baritone male voice suddenly caught her attention as he spoke. "In other news, world leader and Vice-Foreign Minister, Relena Darlain Peacecraft-" Une muttered something beneath her breath, and reached to flip the radio off. Hearing the title 'Vice-Foreign Minister' and 'Darlain' in the same breath had inspired both a mild feeling of guilt within her, even though she knew that Relena had long-since forgiven her, and a sense of annoyance at her failure involving the ball. Her hand froze when the man continued. "Has not been seen since last evening."

Une slammed on the brakes. "Shit," She hissed under her breath, turning the volume up.

"Her aide has released an obscure statement that Miss Peacecraft is in good health, but it is suggested that she ran off with her unknown consort who has been spotted with her in several places over the last three months…"

The woman scowled, turning the radio off. There was no way Relena could have disappeared with Heero; the boy had been on a trip to L-2 for the past two weeks… "Shit." She whispered once more.

* * *

Her head was spinning, but she forced her eyes open, ignoring the dull ache in her temples. She forced her lethargic body into a sitting position, on top of whatever it was she was lying on top of and looked around the tiny room. The only furniture in it was two uncomfortable cots separated by a four foot isle, but the room was barely two yards long – it gave the appearance of being cramped. Everything was heavy metal, lit by the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, including the walls, and the heavily-bolted door. 

Her companion and friend sat up slowly, on her side of the room, and regarded her with indigo eyes, looking frail and perfectly miserable. "Sally?" She whispered, voice unbelieving.

"Hey, Relena." Sally couldn't bring herself to smile. "Do you have any idea of what happened?"

* * *

**To be Continued**

* * *


	2. Afraid to Cry

The Unpaved Road  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
Afraid to Cry  
  
Relena hugged her knees to her chest, slowly rocking back and forth for a moment, until she stopped, pressing her shoulders against the wall and staring at her shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in all of Earth and the colonies. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, avoiding Sally's question. Her head was down so that her fringe, which she had been attemting to grow out, covered most of her face. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't promised to meet you at the spaceport earlier..." She trailed off, buring her face in her hands.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sally asked.  
  
Relena pulled away her hands, snapped her head up, and shoved back sand-colored tresses, revealing openly sad indigo eyes. "My driver was a new one. I didn't think anything of it...Pargan retired last week. I think it might've been sleeping gas -"  
  
The locks on the heavy door hissed as it slammed open, causing both girl's heads to snap to it. A heavy set man entered, clad in tight black and gray. Over six feet tall, with dark hair, and cold black eyes, a twisted smirk of malevolence adorned his thuggish features. Behind him followed another, with hardened, nondescript features. Wordlessly, the first grabbed Relena's roughly by the wrist. She screamed loudly on instinct, causing his partner to reach forward, hitting down hard on the pressure points in her neck. The peace-loving young woman collapsed, slumping against the man. Flinging her limp form over one all-too-broad shoulder, he strode out of the room, closely followed by his partner.  
  
Sally swore softly beneath her breath, digging into the deep pockets of her uniform pants for her gun.   
  
It wasn't there.  
  
Nothing was there. Her wallet, phone, nothing was there. She cursed again, feeling more panicked than ever.  
  
***  
  
Relena came to slowly after, blinking awake in slow degrees. It was dimly-lit in there, where ever she was, thankfully. The only light came from a small - tube? - placed above the door. She glanced around, feeling naked and claustrophobic at the same time. This room was much like the last one, only, she noticed gratefully, it had only one bed and a basic toilet and sink. Her head was spinning - she assumed that she had been given some kind of sedative to keep her out longer - and the corners of the room seemed slightly rounded. Relena checked her thin wrist, it was swollen and marred by an large, inky bruise.  
  
Sleep was calling for her, even as she turned onto her stomach, buried her head in the crook of one arm and wept softly, though the ragged gasps that came in between tears echoed off of the cinderblock walls and heavy metal door. She couldn't will herself to close her eyes; she was terrified of what might happen, terrified that she might not wake up. She wasn't going to delude herself, there was no way that Heero could come, when she alone didn't have any sort of clue as to where she was.   
  
She bit her lip roughly, trying to stop the hot tears that streaked down her face. She had to be strong then, for his sake. She just had to be strong. 


End file.
